Tradeoffs Between Water Quality and the Economic Impacts of Low-Input Agriculture in the Coastal Plain of Virginia

Agricultural activities have been identified as major contributors to the non-point pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. Low-input agricultural practices are being considered to reduce pollution in areas adjoining the Chesapeake Bay. A multiperiod mathematical programming model was used to examine the potential adoption of low-input practices and to assess the environmental consequences of these activities under different policies. The results of these analyses indicate that tradeoffs exist among the types of non-point pollution produced under each policy. Only policies that retired productive agricultural land reduced all pollutant types.